Jesse Middleton: Cultivating the Future of Work and Community in Startups

Jesse's venture career has been marked by a series of notable successes, a number of misses, and a deep commitment to supporting early-stage companies. After his tenure as a founding team member at WeWork, where he played a crucial role in the company's expansion, Jesse made a transition to venture capital. As a General Partner at Flybridge, a seed-stage venture capital firm for ambitious founders leveraging the power of community, he has become a trusted investor and board member to numerous startups around the world. With a keen eye for innovative ideas and promising startups, Jesse has backed over fifty pre-seed and seed stage companies during his time as an angel investor and his tenure at Flybridge. His investment focus centers on the future of work, emphasizing areas such as creativity, culture, collaboration, and communication. By strategically investing in and supporting companies that align with these themes, Jesse aims to contribute to the evolution of how we work and interact over the next decade and beyond. Furthermore, Jesse's commitment to the startup ecosystem extends beyond his role at Flybridge. Jesse built and supported a community of thousands of founders in WeWork Labs across NYC, SF, LA, and beyond. During his time as an angel investor, he served as an advisor to several early-stage technology startups, providing them with valuable guidance and support. Notable ventures in which he played an advisory role include fitmob (acquired by ClassPass), inDinero, Jackpocket, Squire, and YourTrove (acquired by LiveNation). Topics: - Investing in AI-Native Startups - The Community Fund - Challenges and Opportunities in AI Investment #VentureCapital #FutureOfWork #CommunityBuilding #AIStartups #SeedStageInvesting